Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) is sacked in the third quarter for a loss of 8 yards. The Denver Broncos vs Baltimore Ravens AFC Divisional playoff game at Sports Authority Field Saturday January 12, 2013.

Longtime Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney has said you can walk down the street in his home city the day after a game and know whether the Steelers won or lost without asking.

The air felt heavier after a loss, the sky was a little grayer, the mood a little grumpier. Rooney once joked that Pittsburgh’s three rivers likely even ran a little colder.

The same could be said Sunday at 5,280 feet, in a mile-low city after Saturday’s double-overtime stunner. Broncos players cleaned out their lockers Sunday and took their exit physicals. They are now in the “what now” zone.

Losing is one thing. Losing as a huge favorite, at home, in a playoff game that appeared won, can haunt a player and a franchise.

The Broncos joined a growing list Saturday. Since the start of the 2005 season, they are the ninth No. 1 seed to lose in the divisional round.

That is extraordinary number, given that teams fight so hard and covet the top seed so much. The list of quarterbacks in those nine losses is staggering as well — Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers. Four of them have won Super Bowls. A select few of them will be in the Hall of Fame.

Some of the game’s best have been tripped up by something more than a statistical anomaly. Among those nine teams, there is one 15-1 team (the 2011 Packers), three 14-2 teams (2005 Colts, 2006 Chargers and 2010 Patriots) and four 13-3 teams, including this year’s Broncos.

Now comes the tricky part, where a team tries to shove off the blanket of disappointment and make up for a huge missed opportunity.

Of the previous eight No. 1 seeds to lose in the divisional round since the start of the 2005 season, only one battled back to reach the Super Bowl the next season. New England answered the disappointment of getting bounced early after its 14-2 season in 2010 with a Super Bowl trip last season.

Three of the eight teams didn’t even make the playoffs the next season, and two lost in the divisional round again the next year.

“All you can do is get back to work,” Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. “The goal is the same. We have to find a way. You have to keep putting yourself in position to have a chance. We’ll see if we can get back and put ourselves in position again.”

Key matchup

Bailey has always said for any secondary to thrive, the defense must pressure the quarterback.

Saturday, when they allowed their first 300-yard passing game of the season, the Broncos sacked Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco only once. Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil split a sack in overtime. The multiple coverage busts will be replayed for months, with Bailey chasing Torrey Smith on two touchdown plays and safety Rahim Moore’s misplay on Flacco’s 70-yard touchdown throw to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation.

In the end, the Broncos didn’t get to Flacco enough. They rarely put any pressure on him, despite the fact the Ravens were playing their fifth combination on the offensive line this season. Baltimore used a left tackle, 360-pound Bryant McKinnie, who hadn’t started a game in the regular season.

The Broncos, so good on defense all season, had a highly forgettable sequence when, at home, they had offside penalties on Miller and Dumervil to go with a penalty for 12 men on the field — in the span of four plays.

Dumervil’s penalty came on third down and negated a sack. Ravens running back Ray Rice ran 20 yards on the next play.

Sackers sackedNone of the teams that got to the quarterback the most in the regular season remain alive to enjoy it in the playoffs. The last of the top 10 still playing, Houston, was ousted Sunday by New England.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill had touchdowns receiving and on a punt return, Kansas City’s defense made life miserable for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, and the Chiefs beat the Raiders 21-13 on a frigid Thursday night to take control of the AFC West. Charcandrick West also had a touchdown run for the Chiefs (10-3). They moved into a first-place...